<p>To answer the OP’s question:</p>
<p>Indeed, it is possible to demonstrate passion by participating in seemingly unrelated activities. But the ultimate goal of “showing passion” is to prove how you excel in each of your endeavors, and focusing on one or two fields is the easiest way to excel (versus spreading yourself out too thin). If you apply this theory to her case, you’ll see that this applicant has achieved stellar accomplishments in every one of her endeavors. </p>
<p>Certainly, if you look at each of her separate achievements in a vacuum, they seem doable albeit rare. But, like Pancaked mentioned earlier, how many applicants have achieved all four on their own? The fact that she can pursue her interests on her own without teacher guidance, publish her research, win national competitions, etc, shows that she is an independent and brilliant thinker. </p>
<p>Her grades in school may not be “up to par” with the top HYPS applicants, but her academic pursuits prove otherwise. We’ve all seen the 2400-scoring, 5.0 valedictorian who takes 15 AP’s. It’s all been done before, and done better. But how many HYPS applicants have published independent research in an industry paper? How many students have won national competitions by self-studying? To me, she’s a leader who avidly takes control of her own education.</p>
<p>You also mentioned that she didn’t have any leadership positions, so to speak. But, and get this, you do not need leadership titles to be a leader.</p>
<p>In fact, too many people are wrongly associating “leadership” with “leadership title”. Just because you have an officer position doesn’t mean you possess the ability or vision (or qualifications) to be a leader. Exhibit A: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/1110020-state-officer.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/1110020-state-officer.html</a> </p>
<p>Moreover, if you examine her accomplishments together, you begin to see an underlying theme in each of her achievements: she’s a leader, a brilliant writer, and an independent thinker. </p>
<p>No number of leadership titles and perfect test scores can amount to her extracurricular accomplishments. Leadership positions? It takes popularity and some persistence. Test scores? It takes practice, diligence, and intelligence of course. But no amount of persistence, grinding, or diligence can achieve what she’s done without natural leadership and intellectual curiosity.</p>
<p>Her resume tells me that she has amazing potential to excel in a college environment. She’s a pioneer of her educational pursuits (independent study in business and science, published research), she’s a gifted communicator (published writer, FBLA competitions), and she’s a civic-minded leader (philanthropic volunteer). She would be an asset to any college campus, and from her past achievements, I’d be willing to bet that she’d make full use of the resources at any top educational institution.</p>